I always thought Shipyard Pumpkinhead was my favorite until I had my first go around with Cisco’s Pumple Drumkin. It’s gorgeous, not spicey at all, a bit deeper in flavor and full of pumpkiny goodness.

…create something every day. I recently had a discussion with a friend about what will exist in the future re: things we make, things we catalog, things we note. This blog has been a way for me to generate a running “journal” or “record” of sorts for things I think, do, make.

But what will become of this space? Will it always exist? Nothing is certain, and so I’ve begun books…books of things. Who knew we’d be back at this spot? I did this in junior high, and now again, approaching 30.

I’ll still catalog, list, show here. But I realized I want something that could eventually be pulled from a box and discovered anew. I realize I carry around a little leather book that was once my father’s way of keeping track of places he needed to be, things he needed to remember. I don’t fill it out now, because its got a 2000 calendar in it, but I carry it and jot little moments inside sometimes. It still houses his own notes, from his last appointments in his life. It makes me feel closer to him.

Despite the fact you can pick it up just about anywhere, I’m always so smitten with fisherman’s wool. I love the sea in winter, particularly here in Massachusetts. As soon as the weather is finally just cold enough to see your breath in the mornings and evenings, to where when myself and a friend walk the beach, we have to wear hats and jackets, I long for this yarn.

And so I scooped up two skeins to begin working traditional New England knits–conservative and warm.

Sneak peek at my just finished selbu modern hat. It came out a bit bigger than I wanted, but its got great shape and will make a nice beret style hat. Next time, I plan to go down two needle sizes to make it more of a toque.

This one was done in navy and white fingering weight on size 2s. The colorwork was so meditative and gratifying. More selbus to come, for sure.

I love Gather Here, a great stitch lounge in Cambridge that r.r. (see here, and here, and here for her gorgeous work) turned me onto; its like our little hideaway where we can speak to others freely about our nerdy predilections for all manner of craft.

And its comfortable and inspiring, and I always drop dime when I go in there. But I love the philosphy and approach to “making” that owner Virginia instills in shop goers, and so I snapped this card she had out on a coffee table last week at “Knitters Brunch”, a weekly Saturday morning event in which knitters like myself can go, work on their project, and consume coffee, coffee, coffee.

Sometimes a mid-week school day off does wonders for well-being. It also made Tiffany and I head out for an early breakfast (can’t fake out that body, which is used to rising early) where, naturally, we bumped into other teachers doing just that.

But it was the mini tea servers that got us for good. Where can we procure these for home use?